Thursday, February 19, 2015

This is an emotionally riveting book; an epic tale, brilliantly written and deeply affecting. Weaving together the threads of numerous story lines into a beautiful tapestry of history and landscape, love, betrayal, and forgiveness, and brimming with wisdom about the human condition.

Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a British surgeon at a mission hospital in Addis Ababa. Orphaned by their mother's death in childbirth and their father's disappearance they come of age in Ethiopia which is on the brink of revolution. Their passion for the same woman will tear them apart and force Marion to flee his homeland and take refuge as an intern in an overcrowded New York City hospital. Then the past catches up to him, nearly destroying him.

The title "Cutting for Stone" refers to a line from the Hippocratic Oath that stems from a time when kidney and bladder stones were epidemic (and deadly). There were some surgeons who could cut for stone, but then they'd wipe their blades on their pants and head off to the next village. It was extremely dangerous (because of infections). The phrase implies, "Leave that for people who know what they're doing."

Loss is a theme that runs strongly through the book. The language used is beautiful. An imaginative and luminous masterpiece.

I've been hearing good things about Wiley Cash as an author for awhile now, because I love southern literature with an Appalachian setting. I finally decided to try this first novel of his before I tackled his latest book, and I was not disappointed.

The title of this book comes from the final lines of "You Can't Go Home Again" by Thomas Wolfe. It has a strong sense of place (like most good southern literature) and is tragic, gut wrenching, and dark.

The story is told by three characters, Jess (a young boy growing up in the town of Marshall), Adelaide (the town midwife and moral conscience), and Clem Barefield (a Sheriff with his own painful past). A thriller that highlights good versus evil and has elements of carnal sin, faith versus reason, fathers and sons, grief, guilt, and snake handling told with strong narrative voices. Haunting and atmospheric.

Dark and lyrically written, this book celebrates all the things that make us human: art, love, literature, and theater in a moving and haunting post pandemic landscape.

This book is so different from the usual variety of post apocalyptic fiction, and well worth your time reading. It is bleak, but written in a very unique and gorgeous style.

An actor suffers a fatal heart attack on stage while performing in King Lear. Shortly thereafter a flu pandemic all but annihilates life. A Traveling Symphony of actors traverses the landscape performing Shakespeare and music for scattered communities of survivors. Written on their caravan and tattooed on one of the actor's arms is a line from Star Trek, "Because survival is insufficient." See what I mean? Shakespeare and Star Trek in a post apocalyptic story. You gotta love that.

Spanning decades and moving back and forth in time, it is a beautiful and sad novel that blooms in your heart.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Star Trek nerd that I am, I really enjoyed this zombie parody written by a couple of lifelong science fiction geeks. Each chapter title is the name of a Star Trek episode, the writing is surprisingly good, and I found it to be really hilarious. I mean, come on, a zombie outbreak at a Star Trek Convention? The Trek references alone were a gold mine, the characters were solid and likable, and I found it to be a very entertaining read.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

To become a Navy Seal, you must first go through what is widely considered to be the most physically and mentally demanding military training in existence. Only about 1% of those who enter, complete the training. Adam Brown, the man this book is about, was ranked near the top 1% of this elite cadre of men. This is the story of how an all-American boy lost his way, yet found it again, with the help of his faith, his family, and the love of a woman, to become a highly trained warrior whose courage and determination were legendary.

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Author Eric Blehm﻿ has given us an up close and personal glimpse into the heart of a warrior. There is a spate of books and movies out now about these military heroes who sacrifice so much to protect us here in this country, and sometimes wind up paying the ultimate price. I also think it is very important that we understand and appreciate such sacrifice, and books like this one will go a long way towards helping us understand what special caliber of men these are and how much we all owe them.

A vivid and absorbing account that leads to a final act of bravery, and the ultimate sacrifice.

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In the interest of full disclosure, I did receive a copy of this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

The Chicago Tribune said about this book: "Anne Lamott is practically a household word in the peeling-back-the-soul department. She's utterly disarming. She's hysterically funny. One minute, you're falling off your chair laughing, and the next, you're gasping for air, because Lamott has just unfurled a sentence that cuts straight to the heart of what you really needed to know." All of which I totally agree with and couldn't have said any better myself. She is irreverent in her style and approach to the subject of faith, so she may not be everybody's cup of tea. But, she truly has a gift for emotional intensity and soul searching and her self-deprecating humor is delightful. This book is honest, vulnerable, and beautifully written. If you are looking for some inspiration during these bleak winter days, pick it up.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

The story of Chris McCandless has struck a chord with many people since his body was found in the wilds of Alaska more than twenty years ago. Jon Krakauer's iconic book "Into the Wild" was a favorite read of mine. So, when I heard about this book written by his sister, Carine, I was anxious to read it.

She says many times in the book that she is the only person who truly understood what motivated Chris's decision to leave all his belongings and his family and disappear into the wild Alaskan landscape. This motivation was hinted at in Krakauer's book, but Carine goes into much detail when exposing the violent and abusive family history that precipitated his disappearance.

I don't know what I think about the whole experience now that I've read the book. I'm glad she wrote the book and gave us more background on Chris and her family's struggles with dysfunction...but, in the end a very idealistic man's life was cut short in a very tragic and maybe ultimately preventable way...and that's just sad.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

I love the Crispin Guest series and have read every single one, so I was very much looking forward to this prequel. Here we learn more about how Crispin first teams up with his sidekick Jack Tucker. But first, a little background.

Billed as a medeival noir mystery series, her protagonist is a disgraced knight turned detective trying to make his way on the mean streets of fourteenth century London. They call him the Tracker, because he finds things (or people), and he's pretty darn good at it too.

When a corpse turns up at his favorite tavern, Crispin begins an inquiry, but the dead man turns out to be a Knight Templar, an order thought to be extinct for 75 years, charged with protecting a certain religious relic which is now missing. Before he can investigate, Crispin is abducted by shadowy men who are said to be minions of the French anti-pope. Further complicating matters are two women: one from court with an enticing proposition, and another from Crispin's past, dredging up long-forgotten emotions he would rather have left behind. And as if all that weren't enough, a cunning young cutpurse by the name of Jack Tucker has insinuated himself into Crispin's already difficult life. The deeper Crispin probes into the murder, the more it looks like the handiwork of an old friend turned adversary. With enemies from all sides, Crispin has his hands full in more than murder.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Caitlin Doughty is a licensed mortician and the host and creator of the "Ask a Mortician" web series. She founded the death acceptance collective The Order of the Good Death and cofounded Death Salon. In this book, she argues that our fear of dying warps our culture and society and calls for better ways of dealing with death (and our dead). She fills the book with fascinating anecdotes and puts her degree in medieval history to good use by relating to us the history of our customs concerning death in America and around the world. She demystifies a subject that a lot of people try to avoid even thinking about much less dealing with, and her humor and humanity shine through it all. A quite interesting read.

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Rick Bragg
has been called the greatest southern storyteller of our time. What
better author could they have gotten to write the biography of a southerner
some call the greatest rock and roller of all time. This book is the
Killer's life the way he lived it, framed by Bragg's wonderfully descriptive
and richly atmospheric turn of phrase. Bragg spent hours interviewing
Jerry Lee in his bedroom, where he lay on his bed with "a loaded,
long-barreled pistol behind a pillow, a small arsenal in a dresser drawer,
and a compact black automatic on a bedside table." "He
remembered it as it pleased him," Bragg writes at the start of the
book. "That doesn't mean he always remembered it the same way
twice." Music gave Jerry Lee a purpose, and at 79 Bragg's portrait of
him will be the way he's remembered when he's gone.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

As of this writing, Leaving Time is in the running for Best Fiction Book of the year at Goodreads, and rightly so. An author for over two decades, her books about love, family, and relationships are consistent best sellers because they resonate with readers.

In this story of a teen searching for her missing mother, Picoult manages to combine elephants, a psychic, the spirit world, and grief and loss into a phenomenal emotional narrative. As usual she introduces multiple characters and each chapter is written from differing viewpoints.

Leaving time is set partially at a New England elephant sanctuary and also in Africa where wild herds roam. As the book opens, thirteen year old Jenna Metcalf is searching for her mother, Alice, an elephant researcher who disappeared 10 years earlier after a tragic accident at the sanctuary. Her father has been in a psychiatric hospital since the incident. Jenna reads journals her mother kept in the hopes of finding clues to her disappearance. She enlists the help of Serenity Jones, a disgraced psychic, and Virgil Stanhope, a hard-drinking detective in her search.

The story is well told, funny, and the wonderful twist at the end is one I won't soon forget. I also love elephants, which really added to my enjoyment of the book, and I'm so glad that Picoult will shine some much needed attention on the plight of elephants and raise awareness of the cognitive and emotional intelligence of these beautiful animals.

Monday, October 13, 2014

This is a continuation of Karon's much beloved Mitford series. You don't need to have read the series (though I highly recommend it) because the past history is neatly summarized. All the beloved characters return, and Karon's ability to shine a light on the struggles that creep into everyday lives is intact.

Father Tim and his wife, Cynthia, return home after a trip to Ireland. Father Tim has turned into a bit of a curmudgeon who hasn't completely accepted retirement. But soon, he finds himself enmeshed in large and small crises, and this is where Karon's writing really shines. Sadness, joy, hope, and love are part of everyone's life, and she has a lovely way of navigating these waters with her heartrending prose. Liberally sprinkled with wonderful quotes and prayers. These are just a couple that I noted: "Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light." (Theodore Roethke) & "All that happens to us, including our humiliations, our misfortunes, our embarrassments, all is given to us as raw material, as clay, so that we may shape our art." (J. L. Borges)

This older book is probably an overlooked treasure for many. Poetic and philosophic, it contains much wisdom in its perfectly drawn words, and the quiet power of its simple descriptions will resonate with you long after you have turned the last page.It's based on the true story of a man, Henry Stuart, who's told he probably has less than a year to live (because of non-contagious tuberculosis) and uproots himself and moves away from his two sons and best friend to Fairhope, Alabama. When he gets there, he sets about building a hut to live in. He wants to live and work alone, as he must ultimately die alone. He actually winds up living inside this hut for another 18 years. The author, Sonny Brewer, became enamored of this man's tale and lived in the hut while writing this book. The hut was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. This is a book of ideas. Peaceful, smart, and wise. I wrote down many quotes in my quote journal-- like this one: "Thoreau said that to walk outside and gaze at the full moon is nothing," said Henry, "compared to walking along a path alight with the full moon's glow. The one is a taste, the other a feast." And here's another passage that I noted: "Henry believed that people's minds speak with many voices, and among them are voices that cannot be trusted. A wise man develops a steward who keeps mental order and bids some voices keep quiet." Very thought provoking book.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

My favorite quote about this book is from Amy Bloom, who said "Painted Horses has the hard thrill of the West when it was still a new world, the tenderness of first love, and the pain of knowledge." Set in the mid 1950s when America was flush with prosperity and saw an unbroken line of progress clear to the horizon, this debut novel makes that time and untamed landscape come alive.

Catherine Lemay, a former pianist, goes to Montana in the 1950s as a young archaeologist to survey a valley for signs of native habitation before the area is flooded by a hydroelectric project. Catherine fell in love with archaeology while digging at Roman sites in Britain as a student, but now in the ruggedly masculine West, she almost immediately butts heads with her assigned guide, Jack Allen. She also falls under the spell of John H., an artist and lover of horses, who leads a nomadic life in the badlands. Catherine's arduous search of the valley is contrasted for much of the novel with John H.'s harrowing life story. The author demonstrates a fascinating knowledge of horses, archaeology, the new West, and women.

This is a western novel that has beautiful descriptions of the landscape and a wonderful grasp of how we are shaped by the places we inhabit.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Allen West subtitle's this book, "an American Ronin's Journey to Faith, Family, and Freedom,"--and I certainly related to why he calls himself an American Ronin. A Ronin was a samurai with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A Samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege. West lost his own earthly master (his father) early in his life. His father instilled in him the uncompromising character and principles that made him what he is today...and just like the Ronin, who continues to carry his swords and practice the way of the warrior, West has vowed never to succumb in the service of those principles on behalf of this nation. Herman West Senior told his son repeatedly, "Boy, don't ever see your color as a handicap, and never use it as a crutch."

This book was one of several I had picked as my 4th of July reading, and it did not disappoint. West summarizes his view of our Republic quite nicely when he asks:

Do we want an opportunity society, or a dependency society?
Do we prioritize preeminence of the individual, or dominance of the state?
Will we choose individual exceptionalism, or collective relativism?
Do we value wealth creation and expansion, or wealth redistribution?
Will we bet on economic freedom, or economic enslavement?
Do we stand for principle, or for party?
Do we want policy, or politics?

And he upholds the three pillars of modern conservative thought: (1) Effective and efficient conservative government. (2) Peace through vigilance, resolve, and strength. And (3) our traditional American values. West isn't afraid to speak truth to power, and he shares the experiences that shaped him and the beliefs he would die to defend.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Mitch Albom is a bestselling author, screenwriter, playwright and nationally-syndicated columnist. The author of five consecutive number one New York Times bestsellers, he has sold more than thirty-four million copies of his books in forty-two languages worldwide. "Tuesdays with Morrie," which spent four years atop the New York Times list, is the bestselling memoir of all time.

You can't read the above paragraph and not have certain expectations about this book. And I must say that Albom does not disappoint. As one of the quotes from this book says, "There are two stories for every life; the one you live and the one others tell."

One morning in the small town of Coldwater, Michigan, the phones start ringing. The voices say they are calling from heaven. Each call is greeted differently--some with love, some with religious zeal, some with fear. The question of whether these calls are a miracle or a hoax drives Sully Harding, a grieving single father with an inquisitive and hopeful son, to uncover the truth.

One of my favorite parts of the book is how he integrated the true story of Alexander Graham Bell into the narrative--and in such a seamless way that really played to the strength of the story. Albom has always been great at characterization and tucking little bits of life wisdom amongst his dialogue. Whether or not you believe in loved ones being able to communicate with those who have passed on, this book will make you think and give you an appreciation for not only the miracle of the telephone, but the miracles that love can induce. A very inspirational book beautifully rendered and full of hope.

Jeannette Walls is a writer and journalist. She was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She graduated with honors from Barnard College, the women's college affiliated with Columbia University. She published a bestselling memoir, The Glass Castle, in 2005, which is being made into a film by Paramount.

She wrote this book because she wanted to talk about what happens with children when the parent abdicates responsibility.

It is a story of two girls, set in 1970 in a small town in California. 'Bean' Holladay is twelve, and her sister Liz is fifteen, when their artistic mother, Charlotte, takes off to find herself. She leaves the girls enough money to last a month or two. In her absence, they decide to take a bus to Virginia, where their uncle Tinsley lives in a rundown mansion that has been in Charlotte's family for generations. Not wanting to be a burden on their uncle, and because money is tight, Bean and Liz start babysitting and doing office work for Jerry Maddox, the foreman of the mill in town, a man who bullies everyone around him. When something happens to Liz when she is in a car with Maddox, they find themselves in the midst of turmoil that they may not be able to survive.

This is a quite captivating read, with characters that just jump off the page and manage to grab your heart at the same time.

Friday, May 2, 2014

This is the second book I've read by this author (the first being his book The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club). He has a nice easy writing style, full of humor, with characters finely drawn. I especially liked this particular selection, because the book is laugh out loud funny in many places and shines a satiric spotlight on so many modern neuroses. Apocalyptic novels are very popular right now, and most of them are pretty grim indeed. If you are tired of this kind of read, try this one for a refreshing change of pace. You'll be glad you did. This is a very clever and satirical read by an author who knows how to entertain.

The reluctant Jesus of the novel's title is a man by the name of Seth Miller. He is content with his life in a Greenwich Village apartment miles away from an overbearing and protective mother, until the day his mother informs him quite seriously that he is actually God's youngest son, the second coming of Christ. Initially, he thinks his parents are crazy, but a telephone call from God brings him around, telling him he has to fight in the Final Conflict between good and evil. He is initially reluctant to assume his role as the new Messiah, but with his best friend as his disciple he embarks on a sequence of events that lead to some hilarious outcomes. Maggie De Lynne arrives on the scene as Seth's second disciple (and love interest) and Seth's predicaments just compound themselves. Add to this already hilarious mix an anti-Christ with IBS (who loves to engage in Cosplay), a gangsta rapping guardian angel, and Walter the cat (who God uses to talk through) and you'll see why this book is a sharp witted and imaginative romp.

I kept thinking as I read this that it could be turned into an excellent film...along the lines of Bruce Almighty with a Jim Carrey type comedian playing the lead. Let's hope that Hollywood is paying attention. In the meantime, I can't wait to see what's next from the pen of the talented Duncan Whitehead.

Monday, April 28, 2014

This historical tale is set in the 1940s, with an alternating viewpoint jumping ahead to the 1950s. The Rosatis are an Italian family of noble lineage who believe that they are safe behind the walls of their ancient villa as war rages across Europe. The youngest daughter, Christina, spends her days swimming in the pool, playing with her young niece and nephew, and wandering aimlessly amid the estate's gardens and olive groves. But when a German and Italian soldier arrive at the villa asking to see an ancient Etruscan burial site, the Rosatis' tranquility is shattered. Christina is courted by a young German lieutenant, Nazis descend upon the estate, and what was once their sanctuary becomes their prison. In 1955, Serafina Bettini is an investigator with the Florence Police Department who is battling her own demons. A beautiful woman who carefully hides her scars and buries her haunting memories of the war, she is assigned a new case about a serial killer who is targeting the Rosatis and murdering remnants of the family one by one. When she starts digging into this, she finds that her own tragic history is interwoven. Bohjalian does a good job jumping back and forth in time, and the character development and history of the time period are well crafted. It is a story of human frailty when confronted by moral paradox told well and set amongst the exquisitely rendered Italian countryside.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

This is the story of an electric and impassioned love between two vastly different souls in New York during the volatile first decades of the 20th century. Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the sinister impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island boardwalk freak show that thrills the masses. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father's "museum," alongside performers like the wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a 100 year old turtle. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man taking pictures of moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River. The photographer, Eddie Cohen, is a Russian immigrant who has run away from his father's Lower East Side Orthodox community and his job as a tailor's apprentice. When Eddie photographs the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the suspicious mystery behind a young woman's disappearance and ignites the heart of Coralie. New York itself becomes a character in this magic, romantic, and masterful tale well told by Hoffman. The descriptions of New York City around 1911 are superb. And the two historical events that the fiction is based between (The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and the Dreamland Amusement Park Fire) were horrific happenings. She also has a further reading list in the back of the book that gives you excellent supplementary information about Coney Island, the Lower East Side and Triangle Fire, and even further Photography references. I know this book is going to resonate with me for a long time.I also enjoyed her earlier book "The Dovekeepers," which was a tour de force of research and imagination concerning Masada, the ancient fortress on top of a rock plateau on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea.

The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A. J. Jacobs

The Mitford series by Jan Karon

The Stand by Stephen King

This quote from Eudora Welty captures perfectly how I feel about books and reading

"I cannot remember a time when I was not in love with them -- with the books themselves, cover and binding and the paper they were printed on, with their smell and their weight and with their possession in my arms, captured and carried off to myself."

Get Caught Reading

Want to find time to read? Fall in book love. Seek out the books that fire your passions. Follow your intellect and your heart. Then time will find you....Steve Leveen

Stop thinking this is all there is...

Realize that for every ongoing war and religious outrage and environmental devastation, there are a thousand counter-balancing acts of staggering generosity and humanity and art and beauty happening all over the world, right now, on a breathtaking scale, from flower box to cathedral.

Resist the temptation to drown in fatalism, to shake your head and sigh and just throw in the karmic towel.

Realize that this is the perfect moment to change the energy of the world, to step right up and crank your personal volume; right when it all seems dark and bitter and offensive and acrimonious and conflicted and bilious...there's your opening!

And, finally, believe you are part of a groundswell, a resistance, a seemingly small but actually very, very large impending karmic overhaul, a great shift, the beginning of something important and potent and unstoppable.

...Mark Morford, Newspaper Columnist and Yoga Instructor

CONAN THE LIBRARIAN

Quiet Please!

I read as if time were running out, because technically it is. As I grow older, I find I'm increasingly impatient with mediocre entertainments: I want books that will take my breath away and realign my vision...Barbara Kingsolver

Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill...Barbara Techman (Writer)

Library

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul...Samuel Ullman

Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order...John Adams, 2nd President of the U.S.

Every page allows me to live in the main character's thoughts and marvel at how all of us who grew up poor and female are bonded, regardless of where we were raised or who raised us. I not only feel I know this person, but I also recognize more of myself. That's just one of the great joys of reading. Insight, escape, information, knowledge, power. All that and more can come through a good book...If you're going to binge, literature is definitely the way to do it...Oprah Winfrey

Librarian

Barbara Kingsolver

"I'm of a fearsome mind to throw my arms around every living librarian who crosses my path, on behalf of the souls they never knew they saved."

Asking a Librarian her favorite book is like asking a Mother her favorite child

So you want to become a librarian? Welcome to a vibrant and exciting profession. Click here.

Barbara Gordon, a.k.a. Batgirl, Librarian

The best of all things is to learn. Money can be lost or stolen. Health and strength may fail. But what you have committed to your mind, is yours forever...Louis Lamour

You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture.Just get people to stop reading them...... Ray Bradbury

I LOVE NEIL GAIMAN

Do yourself a favor and read American Gods, Anansi Boys, Fragile Things, Smoke & Mirrors, The Graveyard Book, MirrorMask, or Good Omens

Love the Fantasy/SciFi genre

Many good authors to try, John Scalzi is one of the newer ones

Every man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify himself, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant, interesting...Aldous Huxley

The Chronicles of Narnia are an excellent read!

I was an adult before I read these books...how sad...

BOOKS: The Other Channel

My lifelong love affair with books and reading continues unaffected by automation, computers, and all other forms of the twentieth-century gadgetry. — Books in My Life Robert DOWNS (1903- )

A room without books is like a body without a soul......Marcus T. Cicero

To feel most beautifully alive means to be reading something beautiful, ready always to apprehend in the flow of language the sudden flash of poetry.......Gaston Bachelard

The library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds that ever were, with the best teachers, drawn from the entire planet and from all our history, to instruct us without tiring, and to inspire us to make our own contribution to the collective knowledge of the human species. I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries. — Cosmos Carl SAGAN

The library is not a shrine for the worship of books. It is not a temple where literary incense must be burned or where one's devotion to the bound book is expressed in ritual. A library, to modify the famous metaphor of Socrates, should be the delivery room for the birth of ideas - a place where history comes to life. — Cited in ALA Bulletin, Oct. 1954, p.475Norman COUSINS(1915- )